Korean Americans in the U.S. state of Virginia are celebrating a job well done as the final hurdle in their push for the dual naming of the body of water between Korea and Japan has been overcome.
The Voice of Korean Americans, which has been lobbying for the change, says Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has signed into law a landmark bill on the East Sea name.
The bill, which takes effect on July 1st, requires all text books in the state Virginia say the waters are known by the Korean name "East Sea" as well as the Japanese name "Sea of Japan."
Many Koreans see the name "Sea of Japan" as a cruel reminder of Japan's imperialist past as the name was registered when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule.